Canceling window close commands

ABSTRACT

A computer system that, in an embodiment, receives a close command directed to a window, and determines whether the close command was received within a close threshold time of the display of the window. If the close command was received within the threshold time, in various embodiments, a close dialog is displayed, the window is faded, the window is shrunk, or a status message is displayed indicating that the window is closing. If a cancel command is received within a cancel-close threshold, the closing of the window is canceled. If the number of times the cancel command has been received for the window exceeds a cancel threshold, then in various embodiments, the close threshold is increased, magnification is recommended, a sound option is recommended, or speech recognition is recommended.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/171,774, filed Jun. 30, 2005, entitled “Canceling Window CloseCommands,” which is herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD

This invention generally relates to computer systems and morespecifically relates to a user interface for closing windows.

BACKGROUND

The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited asthe beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systemshave evolved into extremely sophisticated devices, and computer systemsmay be found in many different settings. Computer systems typicallyinclude a combination of hardware, such as semiconductors and circuitboards, and software, also known as computer programs. As advances insemiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performanceof the computer hardware higher, more sophisticated computer softwarehas evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware,resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful thanjust a few years ago.

One of the most important developments in making computers not only morepowerful, but easier to use, was the development of sophisticated userinterfaces. Early computer systems were programmed with a series ofswitches or buttons and provided little relevant feedback during theoperation of the computer system. This type of interface provedcumbersome and, accordingly, increasingly more functional andinteractive interfaces were developed to extend the functionality ofcomputer systems.

One very popular user interface, that ultimately gained widespreadadoption on many different computer systems, was the “command lineinterface.” Using a command line interface, the user interacted with thecomputer system by typing a specific command on a keyboard to instructthe computer regarding the desired operation to be performed. Thecommand line interface was not intuitive, however, and still limited theuse of computers to those who had the time and desire to learn a largenumber of relatively cryptic commands.

Recognizing the growing need for a more user-friendly interface,computer engineers and programmers developed the Graphical UserInterface (GUI). A GUI uses visual representations of common items toallow a user to operate a computer system. In most GUI-based systems,various windows, icons, symbols, menus, etc. are manipulated oractivated by a computer user via a pointing device (e.g., a keyboard,mouse, trackball, touchpad, trackpad, or speech recognition device),which allows the user to give instructions to the computer. The movementof the pointing device is usually translated to the movement of ananimated arrow or cursor, displayed on the computer screen. By movingthe pointing device, the user can position the cursor at variouslocations on the computer screen. Then, by activating a button on thepointing device, the user can invoke various commands and options on thegraphical user interface.

Most graphical user interfaces make extensive use of windows. A windowis usually, but not always, a rectangular portion of the display on acomputer monitor that presents its contents seemingly independently ofthe rest of the screen. A window is typically manipulated by (1) openingand closing the window, e.g., by selecting an icon to start a program,(2) moving the window to any area of the screen by dragging (e.g.,positioning the pointer over the window and moving the mouse or otherpointing device with a button held down), (3) repositioning the window,so that the window appears to be behind or in front of other windows orobjects on the screen, (4) adjusting the size (i.e., horizontal and/orvertical dimensions) and (5) scrolling to any section of the windowcontents, e.g., by using scroll bars along the bottom and right edges ofthe window, or by using a mouse wheel or keyboard commands.

The size of most windows can be adjusted over a wide range includingfull screen, a fraction of the screen, and more than the full screen. Inthe latter case, the desired section of the window can be viewed bymoving the window to expose it. Windows can also be minimized, whichresults in their being replaced by an icon and/or their name, usually ina strip along the bottom of the screen, without actually closing theunderlying application program. This flexibility is made possible by thevarious parts that can constitute a window. The parts of a window mayinclude frames, vertical and horizontal scrollbars, drag strips (oftenalong the top for dragging the entire window and along the other edgesand lower corners for changing window size), buttons (for closing,maximizing and minimizing) and tabs (for moving among pages in awindow).

Another feature of windows is the ability for multiple windows to beopen simultaneously. This is particularly valuable in a multitaskingenvironment, i.e., an operating system in which multiple programs canrun seemingly simultaneously and without interfering with each other.Each window can display a different application, or it can displaydifferent files that have been opened or created with a singleapplication.

Multiple open windows can be arranged with respect to each other in avariety of ways. They can be arranged so that they are contiguous and donot overlap (tiled windows) or so they do overlap (overlaid windows).Overlaid windows resemble a stack of documents lying on top of oneanother, with only the upper-most window displayed in full. Any windowcan be moved to the top of the stack and made the active window (i.e.,ready for receiving user input) by positioning the pointer in anyportion of it that is visible and clicking a mouse button. Whenapplications are launched, they may open in a single window or multiplewindows.

Various type of windows exist, and their functions and appearances canvary substantially. For example, child windows are windows that areopened either automatically or as a result of some user activity whenusing a parent window. They can range in functionality from the verysimple to the full complement of controls. Message windows, alsoreferred to as dialog boxes or pop-up messages are a type of childwindow. A dialog box is usually a small and very basic window that isopened by a program or by the operating system to provide information tothe user and/or obtain information (or at least a response) from theuser, including setting options or issuing commands.

Because the screen may contain so many windows, and because some windowsmay pop up or open unexpectedly, users are at risk for commands beingcarried out against unintended windows. For example, if the user issuesa close command intended for a first window at approximately the sametime that a second window unexpectedly pops up, opens, or launches, theclose command may be unintentionally applied to the second window. Ifthe user is watching carefully, the user might see a flicker of thesecond window before it closes, but the user might miss the secondwindow entirely. The missed window might be an important calendarreminder for a meeting, or an urgent instant message from a supervisor,a customer, a coworker, or a family member, and the consequences ofmissing the window that was unintentionally closed might be severe.

Thus, there is a need for a better way to ensure that commands areapplied against the intended window.

SUMMARY

A computer system is provided that, in an embodiment, receives a closecommand directed to a window, and determines whether the close commandwas received within a close threshold time of the display of the window.If the close command was received within the threshold time, in variousembodiments, a close dialog is displayed, the window is faded, thewindow is shrunk, or a status message is displayed indicating that thewindow is closing. If a cancel command is received within a cancel-closethreshold, the closing of the window is canceled. If the number of timesthe cancel command has been received for the window exceeds a cancelthreshold, then in various embodiments, the close threshold isincreased, magnification is recommended, a sound option is recommended,or speech recognition is recommended. In an embodiment, in response to aclose command directed to a window, a determination is made whether thenumber of times the window has been resized is greater than a resizethreshold. If the window has been resized greater than the resizethreshold, in various embodiments, the cancel dialog is displayed, thewindow is faded, the window is shrunk, or a status message is displayedindicating that the window is closing. In another embodiment, if inputto a window has been received within an input threshold time since thewindow was opened, then a confirmation message is displayed. In thisway, the user may be aided in sending commands or entering data to theintended window.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention are hereinafter describedin conjunction with the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level block diagram of an example system forimplementing an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an example user interface with acancel close dialog, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example user interface with astatus message, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an example user interface with aninput confirmation message, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of example window data, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of example processing for a close command,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of example processing for a cancel closecommand, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart of example processing for a resize commandand input to a window, according to an embodiment of the invention.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlyexample embodiments of the invention, and are therefore not consideredlimiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equallyeffective embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the Drawings, wherein like numbers denote like partsthroughout the several views, FIG. 1 depicts a high-level block diagramrepresentation of a computer system 100 connected via a network 130 toservers 132, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Theterms “computer” and “server” are used for convenience only, and anelectronic device that acts as a server in one embodiment may act as aclient in another embodiment, and vice versa. In an embodiment, thehardware components of the computer system 100 may be implemented by aneServer® iSeries® computer system available from International BusinessMachines® of Armonk, N.Y. However, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the mechanisms and apparatus of embodiments of thepresent invention apply equally to any appropriate computing system.

The major components of the computer system 100 include one or moreprocessors 101, a main memory 102, a terminal interface 111, a storageinterface 112, an I/O (Input/Output) device interface 113, andcommunications/network interfaces 114, all of which are coupled forinter-component communication via a memory bus 103, an I/O bus 104, andan I/O bus interface unit 105.

The computer system 100 contains one or more general-purposeprogrammable central processing units (CPUs) 101A, 101B, 101C, and 101D,herein generically referred to as the processor 101. In an embodiment,the computer system 100 contains multiple processors typical of arelatively large system; however, in another embodiment the computersystem 100 may alternatively be a single CPU system. Each processor 101executes instructions stored in the main memory 102 and may include oneor more levels of on-board cache.

The main memory 102 is a random-access semiconductor memory for storingdata and programs. In another embodiment, the main memory 102 representsthe entire virtual memory of the computer system 100, and may alsoinclude the virtual memory of other computer systems coupled to thecomputer system 100 or connected via the network 130. The main memory102 is conceptually a single monolithic entity, but in other embodimentsthe main memory 102 is a more complex arrangement, such as a hierarchyof caches and other memory devices. For example, the main memory 102 mayexist in multiple levels of caches, and these caches may be furtherdivided by function, so that one cache holds instructions while anotherholds non-instruction data, which is used by the processor orprocessors. The main memory 102 may be further distributed andassociated with different CPUs or sets of CPUs, as is known in any ofvarious so-called non-uniform memory access (NUMA) computerarchitectures.

The main memory 102 includes a window controller 160, window data 162,and applications 164. Although the window controller 160, the windowdata 162, and the applications 164 are illustrated as being containedwithin the memory 102 in the computer system 100, in other embodimentssome or all of them may be on different computer systems (for example,the servers 132) and may be accessed remotely, e.g., via the network130. The computer system 100 may use virtual addressing mechanisms thatallow the programs of the computer system 100 to behave as if they onlyhave access to a large, single storage entity instead of access tomultiple, smaller storage entities. Thus, while the window controller160, the window data 162, and the applications 164 are illustrated asbeing contained within the main memory 102, these elements are notnecessarily all completely contained in the same storage device at thesame time. Further, although the window controller 160, the window data162, and the applications 164 are illustrated as being separateentities, in other embodiments some of them, or portions of some ofthem, may be packaged together.

The window controller 160 manipulates the closing of displayed windowsassociated with the applications 164 via the window data 162. In variousembodiments, the window controller 160 may be an operating system, aportion of an operating system, an application, an applicationprogramming interface (API), a browser, a browser plug-in, or any otherappropriate function. The window controller 160 includes instructionscapable of executing on the processor 101 or statements capable of beinginterpreted by instructions executing on the processor 101 to performthe functions as further described below with reference to FIGS. 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. In another embodiment, the window controller 160 maybe implemented in microcode or firmware. In another embodiment, thewindow controller 160 may be implemented in hardware via logic gatesand/or other appropriate hardware techniques in lieu of or in additionto a processor-based system. The window data 162 is further describedbelow with reference to FIG. 5. The applications 164 may be anyexecutable or interpretable code or statements or hardware logic capableof requesting the display of windows, including but not limited to anoperating system, a user application, or a third-party application.

The memory bus 103 provides a data communication path for transferringdata among the processor 101, the main memory 102, and the I/O businterface unit 105. The I/O bus interface unit 105 is further coupled tothe system I/O bus 104 for transferring data to and from the various I/Ounits. The I/O bus interface unit 105 communicates with multiple I/Ointerface units 111, 112, 113, and 114, which are also known as I/Oprocessors (IOPs) or I/O adapters (IOAs), through the system I/O bus104. The system I/O bus 104 may be, e.g., an industry standard PCI bus,or any other appropriate bus technology.

The I/O interface units support communication with a variety of storageand I/O devices. For example, the terminal interface unit 111 supportsthe attachment of one or more user terminals 121, 122, 123, and 124. Thestorage interface unit 112 supports the attachment of one or more directaccess storage devices (DASD) 125, 126, and 127 (which are typicallyrotating magnetic disk drive storage devices, although they couldalternatively be other devices, including arrays of disk drivesconfigured to appear as a single large storage device to a host). Thecontents of the main memory 102 may be stored to and retrieved from thedirect access storage devices 125, 126, and 127, as needed.

The I/O and other device interface 113 provides an interface to any ofvarious other input/output devices or devices of other types. Two suchdevices, the printer 128 and the fax machine 129, are shown in theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, but in other embodiment many other suchdevices may exist, which may be of differing types. The networkinterface 114 provides one or more communications paths from thecomputer system 100 to other digital devices and computer systems; suchpaths may include, e.g., one or more networks 130.

Although the memory bus 103 is shown in FIG. 1 as a relatively simple,single bus structure providing a direct communication path among theprocessors 101, the main memory 102, and the I/O bus interface 105, infact the memory bus 103 may comprise multiple different buses orcommunication paths, which may be arranged in any of various forms, suchas point-to-point links in hierarchical, star or web configurations,multiple hierarchical buses, parallel and redundant paths, or any otherappropriate type of configuration. Furthermore, while the I/O businterface 105 and the I/O bus 104 are shown as single respective units,the computer system 100 may in fact contain multiple I/O bus interfaceunits 105 and/or multiple I/O buses 104. While multiple I/O interfaceunits are shown, which separate the system I/O bus 104 from variouscommunications paths running to the various I/O devices, in otherembodiments some or all of the I/O devices are connected directly to oneor more system I/O buses.

The computer system 100 depicted in FIG. 1 has multiple attachedterminals 121, 122, 123, and 124, such as might be typical of amulti-user “mainframe” computer system. Typically, in such a case theactual number of attached devices is greater than those shown in FIG. 1,although the present invention is not limited to systems of anyparticular size. The computer system 100 may alternatively be asingle-user system, typically containing only a single user display andkeyboard input, or might be a server or similar device which has littleor no direct user interface, but receives requests from other computersystems (clients). In other embodiments, the computer system 100 may beimplemented as a personal computer, portable computer, laptop ornotebook computer, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), tablet computer,pocket computer, telephone, pager, automobile, teleconferencing system,appliance, or any other appropriate type of electronic device.

The network 130 may be any suitable network or combination of networksand may support any appropriate protocol suitable for communication ofdata and/or code to/from the computer system 100. In variousembodiments, the network 130 may represent a storage device or acombination of storage devices, either connected directly or indirectlyto the computer system 100. In an embodiment, the network 130 maysupport the Infiniband architecture. In another embodiment, the network130 may support wireless communications. In another embodiment, thenetwork 130 may support hard-wired communications, such as a telephoneline or cable. In another embodiment, the network 130 may support theEthernet IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3xspecification. In another embodiment, the network 130 may be theInternet and may support IP (Internet Protocol).

In another embodiment, the network 130 may be a local area network (LAN)or a wide area network (WAN). In another embodiment, the network 130 maybe a hotspot service provider network. In another embodiment, thenetwork 130 may be an intranet. In another embodiment, the network 130may be a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network. In anotherembodiment, the network 130 may be a FRS (Family Radio Service) network.In another embodiment, the network 130 may be any appropriate cellulardata network or cell-based radio network technology. In anotherembodiment, the network 130 may be an IEEE 802.11B wireless network. Instill another embodiment, the network 130 may be any suitable network orcombination of networks. Although one network 130 is shown, in otherembodiments any number (including zero) of networks (of the same ordifferent types) may be present.

The servers 132 may include some or all of the hardware and/or softwareelements previously described above for the computer system 100. Inanother embodiment, the servers 132 are optional, not present, or notused.

It should be understood that FIG. 1 is intended to depict therepresentative major components of the computer system 100, the network130, and the servers 132 at a high level, that individual components mayhave greater complexity than represented in FIG. 1, that componentsother than or in addition to those shown in FIG. 1 may be present, andthat the number, type, and configuration of such components may vary.Several particular examples of such additional complexity or additionalvariations are disclosed herein; it being understood that these are byway of example only and are not necessarily the only such variations.

The various software components illustrated in FIG. 1 and implementingvarious embodiments of the invention may be implemented in a number ofmanners, including using various computer software applications,routines, components, programs, objects, modules, data structures, etc.,referred to hereinafter as “computer programs,” or simply “programs.”The computer programs typically comprise one or more instructions thatare resident at various times in various memory and storage devices inthe computer system 100, and that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors 101 in the computer system 100, cause the computer system 100to perform the steps necessary to execute steps or elements comprisingthe various aspects of an embodiment of the invention.

Moreover, while embodiments of the invention have and hereinafter willbe described in the context of fully-functioning computer systems, thevarious embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed asa program product in a variety of forms, and the invention appliesequally regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. The programs defining thefunctions of this embodiment may be delivered to the computer system 100via a variety of tangible signal-bearing media, which include, but arenot limited to the following computer-readable media:

(1) information permanently stored on a non-rewriteable storage medium,e.g., a read-only memory storage device attached to or within a computersystem, such as a CD-ROM, DVD-R, or DVD+R;

(2) alterable information stored on a rewriteable storage medium, e.g.,a hard disk drive (e.g., the DASD 125, 126, or 127), CD-RW, DVD-RW,DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, or diskette; or

(3) information conveyed by a communications or transmissions medium,such as through a computer or a telephone network, e.g., the network130.

Such tangible signal-bearing media, when carrying or encoded withcomputer-readable, processor-readable, or machine-readable instructionsthat direct the functions of the present invention, representembodiments of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention may also be delivered as part of aservice engagement with a client corporation, nonprofit organization,government entity, internal organizational structure, or the like.Aspects of these embodiments may include configuring a computer systemto perform, and deploying software systems and web services thatimplement, some or all of the methods described herein. Aspects of theseembodiments may also include analyzing the client company, creatingrecommendations responsive to the analysis, generating software toimplement portions of the recommendations, integrating the software intoexisting processes and infrastructure, metering use of the methods andsystems described herein, allocating expenses to users, and billingusers for their use of these methods and systems.

In addition, various programs described hereinafter may be identifiedbased upon the application for which they are implemented in a specificembodiment of the invention. But, any particular program nomenclaturethat follows is used merely for convenience, and thus embodiments of theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The exemplary environments illustrated in FIG. 1 are not intended tolimit the present invention. Indeed, other alternative hardware and/orsoftware environments may be used without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an example user interface 200 with acancel close dialog 220, according to an embodiment of the invention.The example user interface 200 may be displayed on any or all of theterminals 121, 122, 123, or 124 (FIG. 1). The example user interface 200includes windows 205 and 210, which are associated with the application164. A window, such as a window 210, may be requested to be closed,either intentionally or inadvertently, by sending a close command to thewindow controller 160. The close command may be initiated via selectionof the close icon 215, a menu option, a taskbar option, an escape key,or via any other appropriate technique.

In an embodiment, the window controller 160 displays the cancel closedialog 220 in response to receipt of a close command within a thresholdamount of time from the display of the window 210 to which the closecommand was directed. The window controller 160 also may display thecancel close dialog 220 in response to the window 210 being resized anumber of times that exceeds a resize threshold, as further describedbelow with reference to FIG. 6. A window may be requested to be resizedvia selection of the resize icon 217, via grabbing and dragging a corneror border of the window with a pointing device, via double clickingwithin the window header, or via any other appropriate resizingtechnique. In various other embodiments, the window controller 160 mayshrink or fade the window 210 in response to receipt of a close commandwithin a threshold amount of time from the display of the window 210.The shrinking or fading may be in lieu of the cancel close dialog 220 orin addition to the cancel close dialog 220. In another embodiment, thewindow controller 160 may shrink or fade the window 210 in response tothe window 210 being resized a number of times that exceeds a resizethreshold. The window controller 160 shrinks the window 210 by reducingits size over time. The window controller 160 fades the window 210 byreducing its intensity over time, so that any windows or other objectsbehind the window become visible over time.

The cancel close dialog 220 gives the user the opportunity to request,e.g., via the “yes” option that the close operation directed to theassociated window 210 be canceled. In another embodiment, the user mayrequest that the close operation to be canceled via selecting the window210, clicking in the window 210, clicking and holding in the window 210,double clicking in the window 210, or any other selection mechanism, asthe window 210 is fading or shrinking away and before the window 210totally closes or disappears. In various embodiments, in response to thecancel close command request, the window controller 160 stops the closeoperation and stops the fading or shrinking of the window 210.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example user interface 300 with astatus message 320, according to an embodiment of the invention. In anembodiment, the window controller 160 displays the status message 320 inresponse to receipt of a close command within a threshold of display ofthe window 310, as further described below with reference to FIG. 6. Inanother embodiment, the window controller 160 displays the statusmessage 320 in response to the window 310 being resized a number oftimes that exceeds a resize threshold, as further described below withreference to FIG. 6. The status message 320 indicates that the window310 is in the process of being closed. The status message 320 gives theuser the opportunity to request that the close operation directed to theassociated window 310 be canceled. In an embodiment, the windowcontroller 160 may further fade or shrink the window 310, as previouslydescribed above with reference to FIG. 2. In various embodiments, theuser may request that the close operation to be canceled via selectingthe window 310, clicking in the window 310, clicking and holding in thewindow 310, double clicking in the window 310, or any other selectionmechanism, as the window 310 is fading or shrinking away and before thewindow 310 totally closes or disappears. In various embodiments, inresponse to the cancel close command request, the window controller 160stops the close operation.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an example user interface 400 with aninput confirmation message 420, according to an embodiment of theinvention. The window controller 160 displays the confirmation message420 in response to receiving input directed to the window 410 within athreshold amount of time from activation, opening, or display of thewindow 410, as further described below with reference to FIG. 8.

The user interface elements, windows, arrangement of windows, and dataillustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are examples only, and in otherembodiments, any number and type of user interface elements, windows,arrangement of windows, and data may be used.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of example window data 162, according toan embodiment of the invention. The window data 162 includes records 505and 510, but in other embodiments any number of records with anyappropriate data may be present. Each of the records 505 and 510includes a window identifier field 515, a close threshold time field520, an input threshold time field 525, a resize threshold field 530, aresize count field 535, a cancel threshold field 540, a cancel countfield 545, a cancel-close high threshold field 550, and a cancel-closelow threshold field 555. In other embodiments, more or fewer fields maybe present in the records.

The window identifier 515 identifies a window, such as the window 205,210, 310, or 410. The close threshold time 520 indicates a thresholdamount of time following opening of the window 515 with respect to theoccurrence of a close window command. The input threshold time 525indicates a threshold amount of time following opening of the window 515with respect to inputting data to the window.

The resize threshold 530 indicates a threshold value of the number oftimes the window 515 has been resized, such as minimized, maximized,stretched, reduced, or otherwise had its dimensions changed. The resizecount 535 indicates a current count of the number of times that thewindow 515 has been resized. The window controller 160 compares theresize count 535 against the resize threshold 530 as further describedbelow with reference to FIG. 6.

The cancel threshold 540 indicates a threshold number of times that aclose operation directed to the window 515 has been canceled. The cancelcount 545 indicates a current number of times that a close operationdirected to the window 515 has been canceled. The window controller 160compares the cancel count 545 against the cancel threshold 540 asfurther described below with reference to FIG. 7.

The cancel-close high threshold field 550 indicates a high thresholdvalue to be used with a timer that represents a long time period duringwhich the user has the opportunity to request canceling the closing of awindow via a cancel close command. The cancel-close high threshold field550 is used by the window controller 160 to give the user a longer time(longer than the cancel-close low threshold 555) to cancel the closingof the window in scenarios when the likelihood is higher that the userwill want to cancel the close. Such example scenarios include the windowbeing closed has been open for a shorter amount of time (the closecommand was received within the close threshold 520) or the user haspreviously resized this window many times (the resize count 535 exceedsthe resize threshold 530).

The cancel-close low threshold field 555 indicates a low threshold valueto be used with a timer that represents a short time period during whichthe user has the opportunity to request canceling the closing of awindow via a cancel close command. The cancel-close low threshold field555 is used by the window controller 160 to give the user a shorter time(shorter than the cancel-close high threshold 550) to cancel the closingof the window in scenarios when the likelihood is lower that the userwill want to cancel the close. An example scenario includes the windowbeing closed has been open for a long amount of time (the close commandwas not received within the close threshold 520) and the user haspreviously resized this window a small number of times (the resize count535 is less than or equal to the resize threshold 530). By selectingbetween the cancel-close high threshold 550 and the cancel-close lowthreshold 555, the window controller 160 selects the cancel-closethreshold to use based on a likelihood that the cancel command will bereceived.

Although the window data 162 indicates separate records for each of thewindows 515 with separate thresholds and counts, in other embodimentssome or all of the windows 515 may share thresholds and/or counts.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of example processing for a close command,according to an embodiment of the invention. Control begins at block600. Control then continues to block 605 where the window controller 160displays a window. Control then continues to block 610 where the windowcontroller 160 determines whether a close window command has beenreceived. If the determination of block 610 is true, then a close windowcommand has been received, so control continues to block 615 where thewindow controller 160 determines whether the close window command wasreceived within the close threshold 520 of the display of the window.

If the determination of block 615 is true, then the close window commandwas received within the close threshold time 520 of the display of thewindow, so control continues to block 619 where the window controller160 initializes a timer to the value of the cancel-close high threshold550. The window controller 160 uses the cancel-close high threshold 550(as opposed to the cancel-close low threshold 555) at block 619 to givethe user a longer time to send the cancel command because the likelihoodis higher at this point that the cancel command will be received sincethe close was received within the close threshold 520 or the resizecount 535 exceeds the resize threshold 530.

Control then continues to block 620 where the window controller 160fades the window, shrinks the window, or displays the status message320. Control then continues to block 625 where the window controller 160optionally displays the cancel close dialog 220, offering to cancel theclosing of the window. Control then continues to block 630 where thewindow controller 160 determines whether a cancel close command (inresponse to the cancel close dialog 220 or by selection of a shrinkingwindow, fading window, or window with the status message 320) has beenreceived prior to the expiration of the timer (previously initialized atblock 647 or block 619). If the determination of block 630 is true, thenthe cancel close command has been received before expiration of thetimer, so control continues to block 635 where the window controller 160processes the cancel close command, as further described below withreference to FIG. 7. Control then continues to block 698 where the logicof FIG. 6 returns.

If the determination of block 630 is false, then the cancel closecommand was not received before expiration of the timer, so controlcontinues from block 630 to block 640 where the window controller 160closes the window. Control then continues to block 699 where the logicof FIG. 6 returns.

If the determination of block 615 is false, then the close windowcommand was not received within the close threshold time 520 of thewindow opening, activation, or display, so control continues from block615 to block 645 where the window controller 160 determines whether theresize count 535 exceeds the resize threshold 530. If the determinationof block 645 is true, then the resize count 535 does exceed the resizethreshold 530, so control continues to block 620, as previouslydescribed above.

If the determination of block 645 is false, then the resize count 535does not exceed the resize threshold 530, so control continues fromblock 645 to block 647 where the window controller 160 sets a timer tothe value of the cancel-close low threshold 555. The window controller160 uses the cancel-close low threshold 555 (as opposed to thecancel-close high threshold 550) at block 647 to give the user a shorteramount of time to send the cancel command because the likelihood islower at this point that the cancel command will be received since theclose was not received within the close threshold 520 and the resizecount 535 does not exceed the resize threshold 530. Control thencontinues to block 620, as previously described above.

If the determination of block 610 is false, then a close window commandwas not received, so control continues from block 610 to block 650 wherethe window controller 160 processes other commands, as further describedbelow with reference to FIG. 8. Control then continues to block 699where the logic of FIG. 6 returns.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of example processing for a cancel closecommand, according to an embodiment of the invention. Control begins atblock 700. Control then continues to block 705 where the windowcontroller 160 stops the fading of the window, the shrinking of thewindow, or the display of the status message 320. Control then continuesto block 710 where the window controller 160 increments the cancel count545. Control then continues to block 715 where the window controller 160determines whether the cancel count 545 is greater than the cancelthreshold 540. If the determination of block 715 is true, then thecancel count 545 is greater than the cancel threshold 540, so controlcontinues to block 720 where the window controller 160 increases any orall of the close threshold 520, the cancel-close high threshold 550, orthe cancel-close low threshold 555. Control then continues to block 725where the window controller 160 optionally suggests magnificationoptions, sound options, and/or speech recognition. Increasing themagnification size may enable the user to better see which command isbeing selected, which icon is being selected, or to which window thecommand is directed. Examples of sound options include increasing thesound volume or changing the sound effect or tone associated with awindow opening, which may enable the user to notice the opening windowand thus better direct commands to windows. Using speech recognitioninstead of typing may enable the user to pay more attention to thedisplay screen and less attention to the keyboard, which may enable theuser to better select the window to which commands are directed. Controlthen continues to block 799 where the logic of FIG. 7 returns.

If the determination of block 715 is false, then the cancel count 545does not exceed the cancel threshold 540, so control continues fromblock 715 to block 799 where the logic of FIG. 7 returns.

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart of example processing for a resize commandand input to a window, according to an embodiment of the invention.Control begins at block 800. Control then continues to block 805 wherethe window controller 160 determines whether a resize command has beenreceived. If the determination of block 805 is true, then the resizewindow command has been received, so control continues to block 810where the window controller 160 resizes the window. Control thencontinues to block 815 where the window controller 160 increments theresize count 535. Control then continues to block 899 where the logic ofFIG. 8 returns.

If the determination of block 805 is false, then a resize command hasnot been received, so control continues from block 805 to block 820where the window controller 160 determines whether input to the windowwas received within the input threshold time 525 since the window wasopened.

If the determination of block 820 is true, then input to the window wasreceived within the input threshold time 525 since the window wasopened, so control continues from block 820 to block 825 where thewindow controller 160 displays the input confirmation message 420 (FIG.4). Control then continues to block 899 where the logic of FIG. 8returns.

If the determination at block 820 is false, then input to the window wasnot received within the input threshold time 525 since the window wasopened, so control continues to block 830 where the window controller160 processes other commands. Control then continues to block 899 wherethe logic of FIG. 8 returns.

In the previous detailed description of exemplary embodiments of theinvention, reference was made to the accompanying drawings (where likenumbers represent like elements), which form a part hereof, and in whichis shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in whichthe invention may be practiced. These embodiments were described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention, but other embodiments may be utilized and logical,mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. Different instances of the word“embodiment” as used within this specification do not necessarily referto the same embodiment, but they may. The previous detailed descriptionis, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thepresent invention is defined only by the appended claims.

In the previous description, numerous specific details were set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. But,the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not beenshown in detail in order not to obscure the invention.

1. A computer system comprising: a processor; and memory connected tothe processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions that whenexecuted on the processor comprise receiving a close command directed toa window from a user interface, determining whether the close commandwas received from the user interface within a close threshold time ofdisplay of the window, wherein the close threshold time indicates athreshold amount of time following opening of the window, wherein theclose threshold time for the window is different than a close thresholdtime for another window, if the close command was not received from theuser interface within the close threshold time of the display of thewindow, deciding whether a number of times the window has been resizedvia the user interface is greater than a resize threshold for thewindow, wherein the deciding further comprises deciding whether thenumber of times the window has had its horizontal and verticaldimensions changed via the user interface is greater than the resizethreshold, wherein the resize threshold for the window is different thana resize threshold for the another window, if the close command was notreceived from the user interface within the close threshold time of thedisplay of the window and the number of times the window has had itshorizontal and vertical dimensions changed via the user interface isgreater than the resize threshold for the window, setting a timer to acancel-close high threshold for the window, wherein the cancel-closehigh threshold for the window is different than a cancel-close highthreshold for the another window, if the close command was not receivedfrom the user interface within the close threshold time of the displayof the window and the number of times the window has had its horizontaland vertical dimensions changed via the user interface is not greaterthan the resize threshold for the window, setting the timer to acancel-close low threshold for the window, wherein the cancel-close slowthreshold for the window is different than a cancel-close low thresholdfor the another window, wherein the cancel-close high threshold for thewindow is a longer time period than the cancel-close low threshold forthe window, displaying a cancel dialog via the user interface, whereinthe cancel dialog allows a request from the user interface to cancel theclose command, if the close command was received from the user interfacewithin the close threshold time of the display of the window, settingthe timer to the cancel-close high threshold for the window, determiningwhether a cancel close command is received from the user interfacebefore expiration of the timer, if the cancel close command is notreceived from the user interface before expiration of the timer, closingthe window, if the cancel close command is received from the userinterface before expiration of the timer, canceling the closing of thewindow, if the cancel close command is received from the user interfacebefore expiration of the timer, determining whether a number of timesthe cancel command is received for the window exceeds a cancel thresholdfor the window, wherein the cancel threshold for the window is differentthan a cancel threshold for the another window, if the number of timesthe cancel close command is received from the user interface exceeds thecancel threshold for the window, increasing the close threshold for thewindow, the cancel-close high threshold for the window, and thecancel-close low threshold for the window, determining whether input tothe window has been received within an input threshold time for thewindow since the window was opened, wherein the input threshold time forthe window is different than an input threshold time for the anotherwindow, and displaying a confirmation message if the input to the windowhas been received within an input threshold time for the window sincethe window was opened.
 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein theinstructions further comprise: if the number of times the window has hadits horizontal and vertical dimensions changed via the user interface isgreater than the resize threshold for the window, fading the window. 3.The computer system of claim 2, wherein the instructions furthercomprise: if the cancel close command is received from the userinterface before expiration of the timer, stopping the fading of thewindow.
 4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: if the number of times the window has had itshorizontal and vertical dimensions changed via the user interface isgreater than the resize threshold for the window, shrinking the window.5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the instructions furthercomprise: if the cancel close command is received from the userinterface before expiration of the timer, stopping the shrinking of thewindow.
 6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: in response to the receiving the close commanddirected to the window from the user interface, displaying a statusmessage, wherein the status message indicates that the window isclosing.
 7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: recommending magnification if the number of times thecancel command is received for the window exceeds the cancel thresholdfor the window.
 8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein theinstructions further comprise: recommending a sound option if the numberof times the cancel command is received for the window exceeds thecancel threshold for the window.
 9. The computer system of claim 1,wherein the instructions further comprise: recommending a speechrecognition function if the number of times the cancel command isreceived for the window exceeds the cancel threshold for the window. 10.The computer system of claim 1, wherein the window comprises an instantmessaging window.